In the use of a welded assembly, it is desirable to nondestructively test the assembly and the welds connecting the portions of the assembly one to the other.
Commonly, the portions of said assemblies are spot welded or projection welded one to the other. For example, such a welded assembly typically consists of a thrust bearing projection welded to a retainer portion. It is desirable to test the retainer assembly under operational load and to test the individual projection welds for a minimum shear strength.
The welded assembly can be nondestructively tested by application of a torque simulating its operational load. However, to test the welds of an assembly having greater than one projection weld, the welded assembly heretofore has been divided into portions, each containing one weld. A force is then applied to each weld until the weld fails in order to determine the minimum shear strength of that weld. The resultant destruction of the welded assembly represents a waste of time and labor.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide means for controllably exerting a force on a welded assembly to nondestructively test the welded assembly and each weld of the assembly.